A child's future
starts with you

There are several ways in which the Permanence Support Team can support with contact in adoptive families. We operate the Letterbox service, supervising written correspondence between adopters and birth relatives. We also have an electronic Letter Swap Service which may be more preferable.

In some cases, we may support with contact in other ways, such as supporting children with a plan of contact to see birth family. This is normally annually. In some cases, children and their adoptive parents will contact us and request direct contact with birth family. It is important to remember that contact plans can change and develop to meet the needs of your children as they age. If you would like to discuss keeping in touch, please contact our Front Door which operates every weekday except Bank Holidays from 8:30-5 (8:30-4 on Fridays) please call 01865 323121 or email ATV.PermanenceSupport@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Many children under Special Guardianship Orders continue to have contact with their birth parents and other relatives in one form or another. Children are often placed with extended family members or family friends, and so navigating a continuing relationship with relatives who may have previously posed a risk to the child is a very challenging part of being a Special Guardianship family. There are several ways in which the Permanence Support Team can support with contact. We can offer advice as part of a Helpdesk call or Assessment and Support Plan, discussing the complexities of your family’s situation and supporting you to make the best decision for your child or conducting reviews if you feel that current contact arrangements no longer suit your family.

Letterbox. Adopt Thames Valley runs a Letterbox service in which birth parents, relatives and adoptive parents write to one another to share information about their own and the child(ren)’s life. It is a formal arrangement which normally happens annually with a set month to write. There is also an electronic version of this service called Letter Swap which may be more suitable to your family's needs. We have included some example letters to support you, but you can also gain further support from our Help Desk or Letterbox service.

It is important to remember that often birth family struggle to write letters, this does not mean that they do not care about their child and is more linked to feelings of failure. Sometimes it could mean that letters are sporadic or do not start for several years. Please do not stop writing your letters as it is important to keep the communication open. Your child will have access to all the letters sent in the future, but please do try to keep the originals sent. Addresses are not shared between birth parents and adoptive parents, and all letters are checked by Letterbox administrators to ensure that they are suitable and comply with the agreed arrangement for each child.

Letters and photographs are sent between the adults, but it is important to share the content in an age-appropriate manner with your child and encourage them to feed into this.

Photographs or your children’s artwork can also be shared as a part of this arrangement, however, please be aware that we do not have capacity to send gifts.

If you would like to contact us about an existing Letterbox arrangement, please call your local Letterbox office:
• Oxfordshire - 01865 323114 letterbox@oxfordshire.gov.uk
• Swindon – 01865 894726 atvswindonletterbox@oxfordshire.gov.uk
• Reading, Bracknell, West Berks, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham – 01865 894722 atvberkshireletterbox@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Please be aware that Letterbox office hours are limited. If your call is not answered, please leave a message and a Letterbox administrator will get back to you when they are able.

If you are considering whether a Letterbox arrangement could be right for your family, please contact the Helpdesk.